31 October 2013

The Studio Portrait

Let me get this out of the way. I did not enjoy working in the studio. I don't ever want to work in the studio again. The studio exists for control, especially control of light, and the chaos of the environment is a large part of why I like photography. So the studio portrait assignment was pretty rough for me. I found myself wanting to take pictures of the set-up more than my model:

f/16
1/180
ISO 80
Kit zoom set to 18mm (~27mm equivalent)

The assignment was a good exercise for appreciating what goes into studio photography. Getting the light right is hard. I did not come anywhere close to getting the hang of it. It was also hard to get Jason to relax. He doesn't like to sit still. In the end all I could do was let him pace around while I tried to get decent shots. Got a small handful that I sort-of like:

f/19
1/180
ISO 80
Kit zoom set to 47.5mm (~71mm equivalent)

This might seem like an odd choice, but I like the way he's moving out of the frame, and he's kind of doubled by the shadow on the other side. And I like that you can see how beat-up the paper is.

Truly, I don't like being in such an unnatural environment. I understand the value and purpose, but I don't think I will ever do it voluntarily.